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Meck v1.1 — T-Deck Pro Update

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@pelgraine pelgraine released this 15 Mar 04:46
· 206 commits to main since this release
tdpro-v1.1
4004acf

A T-Deck Pro–only update with settings screen improvements, GPS fixes, and a new 2000mAh 4G standalone variant. Eight firmware variants for the T-Deck Pro — the T5S3 E-Paper Pro remains on v1.0 for now.

📄 Meck_Firmware_Guide — 15 March 2026.pdf is included in this release for easy reference — it covers all keyboard controls, screen navigation, settings, and feature documentation for both platforms.

📦 Convenience ZIP: v1.1-Meck-T-Deck-Pro-firmware.zip bundles all T-Deck Pro variants into a single download.

⚠️ First-Time Flashing — Read This First

Each firmware is provided in two formats:

  • filename.bin — the application firmware only. Use this for updating an existing Meck install.
  • filename_merged.bin — includes the bootloader, partition table, and application firmware in a single image. Use this if you are flashing Meck for the first time, coming from a different firmware, or if your device is not booting correctly after an update.

If in doubt, use the _merged.bin file. It will always work regardless of what was previously on the device.

Flashing with the MeshCore Web Flasher (recommended)

  1. Go to https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk
  2. Select Custom Firmware
  3. Load the .bin or _merged.bin file and click Flash
  4. Select your device in the popup and click Connect

Flashing with esptool.py

If you prefer the command line, esptool.py can be used to flash firmware directly. First-time users should use the _merged.bin which includes everything the device needs to boot:

esptool.py --port /dev/ttyACM0 --baud 921600 write_flash 0x0 firmware_merged.bin

Note: On first boot after a fresh flash (or after erasing flash), you may see a SPIFFS mount error in serial output — this is normal. The filesystem auto-formats on first boot and everything proceeds as expected.

What's New Since v1.0

⚙️ Settings Screen Reorganisation

The settings screen has been restructured for clarity. Contacts and Channels are now in their own sub-screens instead of being listed inline:

  • Contacts >> — opens a dedicated sub-screen for the contact auto-add mode picker (Auto All / Custom / Manual) and per-type toggles
  • Channels >> — opens a dedicated sub-screen for viewing, adding, and deleting channels

Press Enter to open a sub-screen and Q to return to the top-level settings list. Your cursor position is remembered when navigating back.

📡 GPS Baud Rate in Settings

The GPS baud rate can now be changed on-screen in Settings (previously serial-only). Cycle through options with A / D — available rates are Default (38400), 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, and 115200. Requires a reboot to take effect.

🔢 Frequency Text Entry

The frequency setting now uses direct text entry instead of increment/decrement. Type the exact value (e.g. 916.575) and press Enter to confirm — much faster for precise tuning.

🛰️ GPS Initialisation Fix

Fixed a bug where Serial1 (used by the sensor library's GPS init) was not properly released before reinitialising Serial2 for the GPS stream. This could cause GPS to silently fail to receive data on some boots. The fix ensures Serial1.end() is called before Serial2.begin(), cleanly handing the UART pins back to the GPS parser.

🔧 Preferences Validation on Upgrade

When upgrading from older firmware versions, stored preferences may contain garbage values in fields that didn't exist before. v1.1 now clamps invalid values on boot — path_hash_mode, dark_mode, portrait_mode, autoadd_max_hops, and interference_threshold are all validated and reset to safe defaults if out of range. This prevents unexpected behaviour after a firmware upgrade without erasing flash.

T-Deck Pro Firmware Variants

Six firmware variants for the LilyGo T-Deck Pro. Pick the right .bin for your hardware:

v1.1-Meck-4G-BLE.bin
For T-Deck Pro 4G boards. Full-featured build — messaging, contacts, direct messages, repeater admin, e-book reader, notes, emoji, GPS, map viewer, BLE companion app support, SMS & Phone app, IRC client, and web browser. Up to 500 contacts and 20 channels.

Note: BLE is toggled off at boot to save battery. Navigate to the Bluetooth home page and press Enter to enable it when you want to connect to the app.

v1.1W-Meck-4G-WiFi.bin
For T-Deck Pro 4G boards. Same as the 4G-BLE build but with WiFi replacing BLE as the companion transport — connect via the MeshCore web app, iOS/Android app, meshcore.js, or Python CLI over your local network (TCP port 5000). WiFi is on by default at boot but can be toggled off in Settings to save power. No BLE companion app support. Up to 1,500 contacts and 20 channels.

v1.1W-Meck-4G-WiFi (2000mah battery version).bin
Same as the 4G-WiFi build but with the battery gauge calibrated for a 2000mAh cell. For T-Deck Pro boards with an upgraded battery and custom case.

v1.1-4G.SA-Meck-standalone-firmware (A7682E (4G) version).bin
For T-Deck Pro 4G boards. No BLE or WiFi companion — maximum battery life. The web browser, IRC client, and map viewer are all still available (they use WiFi independently, not as a companion transport). Up to 1,500 contacts and 20 channels.

v1.1-4G.SA-Meck-standalone-firmware (A7682E (4G) 2000mah version).bin
Same as the 4G standalone build but with the battery gauge calibrated for a 2000mAh cell. For T-Deck Pro boards with an upgraded battery and custom case.

v1.1A-Meck-Audio-BLE (PCM5102A Audio only).bin
Everything in the 4G-BLE build plus the audiobook player, sleep timer, and auto-queuing — minus the 4G modem features. BLE companion support included. Up to 500 contacts and 20 channels.

⚠️ PCM5102A audio hardware only. The I2S audio pins (GPIO 7, 8, 9) conflict with the A7682E modem control lines — do not flash on 4G boards.

Note: BLE is toggled off at boot to save battery. Navigate to the Bluetooth home page and press Enter to enable it when you want to connect to the app.

v1.1AW-Meck-Audio-WiFi (PCM5102A Audio only).bin
Same as the Audio-BLE build but with WiFi replacing BLE as the companion transport. WiFi is on by default at boot but can be toggled off in Settings to save power. No BLE companion app support. Up to 1,500 contacts and 20 channels.

⚠️ PCM5102A audio hardware only — same GPIO conflict applies. Do not flash on 4G boards.

v1.1A-SA-Meck-standalone-firmware (PCM5102A Audio only).bin
Same as the Audio-BLE build but with Bluetooth and WiFi completely removed at compile time. The radio hardware is never initialised, giving a significant battery life improvement. The web browser, IRC client, and map viewer are not available on this variant. Up to 1,500 contacts and 20 channels.

Battery life: Disabling Bluetooth extends estimated runtime from ~10.5 hours to ~20.5 hours on the 1400mAh cell.

⚠️ PCM5102A audio hardware only — do not flash on 4G boards.

T5S3 E-Paper Pro

The T5S3 firmware is not included in this release. The T5S3 remains on [Meck v1.0](https://github.com/pelgraine/Meck/releases/tag/v1.0) — download T5S3 firmware from that release page.

MeshCore Companion Apps

BLE variants connect to the standard MeshCore companion apps:

WiFi variants connect via TCP on port 5000:

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